Cameron Hill has rated today’s conditions for qualifying and Race 1 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup season opener at the Superloop Adelaide 500 as the most physically demanding of his career.
The temperatures at the Adelaide Parklands Circuit climbed beyond 41 degrees today, resulting in race car cabin temperatures well above 60 degrees.
“That race was easily the hottest I had ever done, and with a couple of laps to go, I was really starting to feel the effects of the heat,” Hill said.
“To be honest, it was disgusting – there was a Safety Car mid-way through the race, which reduced the airflow and rapidly increased the temperature. As soon as the race finished, I couldn’t wait to get into the ice bath, that’s for sure.”
Despite the torturous conditions, Hill improved from 10th in qualifying to seventh in the 15-lap race.
“We’re definitely getting closer to the front-runners, but the car was moving around a lot so it was hard to attack today,” Hill said.
“In qualifying, I was compromised by traffic on my best lap. The race was better – I was able to gain a few spots, but there are still improvements to come from the car. We’ll make a few tweaks overnight and hopefully be in a position to race for the top five tomorrow.”
The second Carrera Cup race will take place at 3:00 local time tomorrow afternoon (3:30pm in the eastern states).
